Update to graduate student mail and packages process

Dear graduate students,

We are writing to share an important update about the package delivery program for students living on campus that will take effect in fall 2025.

Over the past several years, the number of packages delivered to residences on our campus has reached a staggering volume of more than a half million per year. At the same time, package thefts, emissions from delivery trucks, trash, and concerns for student and family pedestrian and bicycle safety have risen.

Since 2022, the total number of packages delivered per year has grown from 350,000 to 570,000.
On average, there are 90-100 delivery vehicles coming to the two package centers on campus each day, not including the rest of the delivery vehicles going to student residences directly.
The boxes and shipping materials produced by these packages overflow from recycling bins or pile up around residential common areas.

To address these issues, as well as support Stanford’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the university is announcing a new, centralized process for graduate mail distribution.

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Beginning in fall 2025, graduate students living on campus will have their packages managed by the newly announced Land, Buildings & Real Estate (LBRE) Mail & Packages Services (MPS) program. Graduate students will see a quarterly mail fee of $40 on their university bill, equivalent to the mail fee currently paid by undergraduates.

With the new, centralized system, graduate packages will be delivered to secure lockers throughout campus via electric vehicles. Students will have the option to track packages and see when they are available for pickup through the MPS student web portal.

With this change, we look forward to a collective decrease in campus truck traffic, reduced trash and emissions, and increased community safety. Below you will find some additional important information and context for the changes.

Sincerely,

Michele Rasmussen
Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Shirley Everett
Senior Associate Vice Provost for Residential and Dining Enterprises

Jack Cleary
Associate Vice President Land, Buildings and Real Estate

Were students involved in this process?

In February 2022, LBRE & R&DE convened a campus-wide summit to identify and address mail and package delivery issues on campus. Following the summit, then-Provost Persis Drell tasked LBRE with developing a new way of package distribution on campus. Throughout the process, MPS talked with students, faculty, and staff across 19 different units and schools, as well as seven peer institutions, which informed the decision to move to a centralized distribution model.

Why can’t we have a mail warehouse on campus?

We do not have a space large enough on campus to receive and process the high volume of packages, and temporary locations set up in parking lots around campus create a safety hazard. Campus space needs to be prioritized for supporting our academic and research mission.

How much is this charge and how often will I be billed?

The university’s new mail and package fee is $40 per quarter for fall, winter, and spring; $30 for summer quarter. It will appear on your quarterly university bill and is in line with similar mail fees charged to undergraduate students.

What benefit does this provide me?

Under the new system, graduate students will have access to secure 24/7 lockers strategically located near residences. In addition, in moving the Graduate Package Center this fall from its current location to the former EVGR market space in EVGR-C, we will be reducing the number of delivery trucks driving through areas where both students and families with young children are living on campus.

What benefit does this provide the campus?

As part of the new program, a centralized receiving warehouse in Newark, California, will process packages before they are delivered to campus via an electric truck fleet, reducing the number of delivery trucks entering campus by 50 to 70 per day and improving safety for bikes, pedestrians, and buses on campus. In addition, by using electric vehicles, the program will help reduce campus emissions and align with the university’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

What can I do now to prepare?

While the new process won’t launch until fall 2025, you can help reduce the number of packages processed each day by bundling your packages when ordering or considering choosing a single mail delivery day from common online retailers like Amazon.

Where can I learn more?

If you’re interested in learning more about mail and packages on campus and the impact to our community, the Mail and Package Services website contains additional information as well as answers to commonly asked questions. In addition, a recent Stanford Report story shares more about the new mail and package program and its goals to enhance convenience while cutting emissions.

“Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies 8,180 acres, among the largest in the United States, and enrols over 17,000 students.”

Please visit the firm link to site